Modern hearing assistance devices, such as hearing aids, typically include digital electronics to enhance the wearer's listening experience. Hearing aids are electronic instruments worn in or around the ear that compensate for hearing losses by specially amplifying sound. Hearing aids use transducers (such as microphones and receivers) and electro-mechanical components which are connected via wires to the hearing aid circuitry. In addition to transducers, modern hearing assistance devices incorporate A/D converters, DAC's, signal processors, memory for processing the audio signals, and wireless communication systems.
Behind-the-ear (BTE) and receiver-in-canal hearing aids (also called RIC or RITE hearing aids) typically have included a processing portion that resides above or behind the ear with a microphone. The processing portion provides signals to the ear canal using a sound generator and tube (BTE) or to a receiver in the ear canal via wires that provide sound to the receiver in the ear canal (RIC or RITE). Changing the current distribution of components can be complicated by challenges associated with the number of lines and electromagnetic considerations, such as noise and cross talk.
What is needed in the art is an improved approach to provide more options for component placement in hearing aids.